BJP MPs misbehaved in Parliament, alleges TMC

Trinmaool Congress leaders come out from Parliament House after rail budget was tabled, in New Delhi. (Arvind Yadav/ HT Photo)

Members of the Trinamool Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday got into a spat in the Lok Sabha over a protest against the Narendra Modi government’s maiden railway budget. The House could not transact any business in the post-lunch session due to the clash.

As soon as the House met in the afternoon for a scheduled discussion on price rise, the Trinamool Congress MPs trooped near the Speaker's podium and started shouting slogans against the railway budget, which was presented earlier in the day.

The TMC members were claiming that the rail budget had ignored the state of West Bengal and demanded that the budget be taken back. The members also shouted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Soon BJP members were seen shouting slogans from their seats to counter the TMC members. The Trinamool later alleged its female MPs were abused and threatened by the BJP legislators.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee claimed "indecent comments" were made against her and Trinamool Congress MPs, and alleged that an attacker pulled at Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar's saree when they were protesting the "injustice" done to Bengal in the Railway Budget.

"Indecent language was used against me. Bad language was used against my women MPs. My women MPs faced misbehaviour," she told media persons at Chanditala in Hooghly district.

TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Kalyan Banerjee alleged they were attacked by the BJP members. Dastidar also accused one of the BJP MPs of being drunk inside the House.

Her party colleague Shatabdi Roy too accused BJP MPs of abusing and threatening to attack them adding, “I am sure they were drunk”.

The BJP dismissed the Trinamool accusations as "drama", saying they were trying to disrupt proceedings of the House.

Hukma Dev Narain Yadav, who was in the chair, adjourned the House sensing the gravity of the situation as ministers Prakash Javadekar, M Venkaiah Naidu and Minister Kalraj Mishra rushed to calm the tempers.

Some Congress members were also seen rushing to the Well of the House to avert any ugly incident.